Sunny South East Ireland.

[Guest maricelbill]

First Super Club race of the season took place from Kinsale on the 23rd April. A testing head wind slowed the velocities to the 1300s pretty unusual for this route. The winner and also second and not just that but claiming 1st and 2nd in the 2 bird nom also is Michael Mulcahy from the Na Deise in Dungarvan. It was almost a clean sweep of the positions from Na Deise with Anthony Murray in 3rd, Ian Hart 4th, O Donnell Bros featuring the one and only Maurice O Donnell on lead guitar on 5th and 6th, Peter Whelan in 7th and 9th being split by Brerdan Buckley from Tower Inv in Waterford. Holding up the result this week are the well established Stickers Donkers loft of S & J Leahy Na Deise. Only in it’s second season the club is really getting the attention of its members with terrific co-operation between the 4 members clubs.

 

In the Tower Invitation it was Brendan Buckley claiming his second win on the bounce with a 2 yo blue widowhood cock which was flown on the north road as a yb and turned south as a yearling scoring a few club cards. This is its first red card. Sire bred by Derek Cummins in Dublin dam from Gibb & Byrne’s Marijke Vink family a line of birds that has scored well for Brendan. In 2nd sport is almost newcomer Markus Power with a b/wf Coormans hen from club mate Pat O Brien breeing. She was raced celibate and Markus reckons she trapped poorly but given it’s a latebred having only it’s second race and gives Markus his highest position yet in the club it has to be a good day. Consider Markus had two more in the clock to take 4th & 5th place it was a really good day. M & D Pepper take spot again with one of their Ron Hillcoat Heremen Ceusters with another in 8th place. The dam of the first is a present Ron received from Eijerkamp and is from Rossi lines. The hardworking John Collins claims 6th & 9th place, Brendan Buckley in 7th with Mr & Mrs Peare in 10th. Returns were steady with almost all home in good time.

 

Down in the Abbeyside Jimmy Maher with the first 4 places, first bird doing 1214. Jimmy raced back to the south road scene after one season flirting back on the north road in 2015. And what a difference now from the downbeat gob on him from last year. Every damn week it was the end of the world was nigh over the losses he was enduring. This week, I had to hang up on before he blackened his face with shoe polish and started singing me gospel music.

Up in the Shamrock Club in New Ross John Fanning took the top 3 places the winner on 1232 claiming it’s second win in the trot, she is Janssen x Coorman. The sire is John’s Good blue cock 57 that was himself a winner of 7 x 1st prizes. It's still early days and with the warmer weather approaching, distance increasing,. and more fanciers competing the competition will become quite interesting in the Super Club.

 

I spent an interesting few days in Belgium this and will include some of the detail in the next article. One fancier I did spend a pleasant few hours with was Johan Donckers from Grobbendonk. Though now flying mainly the hafo and fond distances he also races a team of cocks from Noyon and regularly shows the sprint men of the Tienverbonnd the way home. He has cultivated a terrific team of birds built around his Asduif and his son the Zoon Asduif and are already starting to breed high end winners in the UK. As if to prove the point as I was writing this article I received a text from my good mate David Hicks in Norwich to say a blue Johan Donckers hen I bred him last year had topped the fed for him yesterday. My thanks to PAT Maher for looking after the birds while I was away.

 

My own team of yb are coming out of the nest at the moment and will be kept inside until transferred to the new house in 4 weeks time. Not ideal but you can only do what you can do. These things seems to operate in a time zone all of their own, It's best just to accept it rather than become frustrated at things over which you have no control anyway.

 

The I.H.U.N.F.C moot is scheduled for October 22nd in Dublin. This week I was happy to finalise the panel. Mr & Mrs Geoff & Catherine Cooper. Brian Bolton is coming from Belgium with his wife Michelle. Brian has been under the weather of late and I know everyone wishes him a speedy and full recovery. Bob Fenech coming in from London accompanied by the MC for the evening, the more than entertaining, Ronnie Bigwood. From Liverpool arriving with his violin and canny sense of humour is Steve Goulding, the man I keep calling the Meryseside Mozart. Apparently, they done it again yesterday taking the first 4 places in the Liverpool Amal for the second week running. Steve fancies as bit of hunting while he is here. Unfortunately, Steve’s good mate and confidant, Stephen Milner, can’t make the journey, although it is highly likely Nigel Laycock will travel with Steve.

 

I mentioned in last week’s article how Michael Collin’s is sending over a yb from Donkere Leo to the sale. This week, I am more than happy to say that Darren and Paul from P & D racing and breeding stud have stepped up with a yb direct from their excellent Van Den Bulcke cock Nieuwe Goed Rode. The lads have broke the bank in an attempt to amass the best team of Van Den Bulcke breeders in the UK and have recent;y bought the entire Van Den Bulcke stock team of Kevin Moran in Liverpool.

 

Tickets will be available shortly at 35 euro each it's going to be a terrific night with terrific sport prizes included in the price, including a free entry to the Algarve One Loft race in 2016. Kindly sponsored by the most recognisable One oft persona and someone with an exceptional one oft record all over the globe and paces beyond, Maurice O Donnell from Dungarvan. It's a terrific gesture and shows genuine commitment to the sport and to getting the I.H.U.N.F.C to toppermost of the poppermost in pigeon racing in Ireland. Maurice owned arguably one the finest breeding one loft race cocks in the world until recently and has built his loft on its bloodlines. I know Maurice is publicity shy but he will just have to suffer it for this week. And next.

 

This weeks pics seem to have gone missing from last weeks’s article and are from the piece on the one and only Owen Kirwan from Gorey.

 

News views etc to westwing@eircom.net

 

Prometheus.

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